Let me tell you something
by ipkloveyou
Summary: OC and Canon Lemon inbound! Eve is a human Maverick Hunter having joined the resistance since Sigma's insurgence against humanity. This story centers around her feelings for the mysterious and aloof Reploid Zero. She carries a profound respect for the person she's come to know as a friend, but desires to be able to bring forth something more from their friendship.


NB: This story is still in progress. I'll try to update as soon as I can. I'd like to reach at least 20K or more. For now, please enjoy!

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At the Maverick Hunter base, after having just spent a rigorous time the greater portion of the morning training and running an exercise program, Zero had gone off to look for his friend, X, though not before taking a shower to clean off. The steam seemed to do wonders despite the nonnecessity for it as a Reploid. Even still, it kept his hair looking nice and sleek.

"These last few days have been fairly eventful…," he started to himself as he walked through the halls of the large base. "We almost failed our last mission…, almost lost a teammate, and instead learned he was a human female. What's next?"

The Reploid could barely conceive of any more odd twists and turns at this point, but apparently there was always a surprise around the corner. Least that appeared to be the trend while the Hunters continued their pursuit and abolition of the traitor Sigma.

Zero brought himself to the usual spot where he often spent time simply talking with X. It had a nice view of the sky and the city outside just in the distance. Being nearly noon the scenery was even more relaxing as the sun was just in the right place to shine on the metallic and translucent surfaces of the buildings that refracted the blue sky and its light. However, upon approaching the area, the blue Reploid wasn't in sight. In his stead it looked as though Eve had taken a spot sitting on the bench that protruded from the wall.

Just barely was he surprised, but he continued to make his way toward the woman who at this point had noticed him coming, having heard his footsteps gradually getting louder as their sounds echoed softly through the hallway.

"Hey, Ypsi—er… Eve," Reploid corrected himself.

He still wasn't used to the name change.

Eve could only smile after turning her body further to see the blond-haired Reploid better. Even she knew that it was an unusual transition for others to start calling her differently. Then again, her armor was going to be different, too, so it was almost as though she would be an entirely new person to begin with! Nevertheless, the woman greeted her friend.

"Morning, Zero," she said. "Training hard as usual?"

"Yeah, I can't afford to get complacent again," he answered walking up to the woman and stood nearby the window. "How are you holding up?"

"Oh, well…" Eve nearly sighed. "It still hurts a bit, but I'm getting better."

The woman let out a faint grunt when she moved her torso. The injury she sustained on their last mission was going to take some time to heal.

"At any rate, that's what medicine's for," she said letting a nervous chuckle.

"What am I even laughing at?" she thought to herself internally and immediately cringed.

Oh, she probably knew inside what it was, but wasn't about to think too deeply on it. Being around Zero made her nervous—in a good way. Well, not that good if she couldn't stop from being so shy around the Reploid.

"Glad you're getting better," he replied, though with the faintest trace of discontent present on his face.

"If only I could have been faster… This could have all been avoided…," Zero inwardly scolded himself.

While she was lucky enough yet that her inner emotions weren't readable Eve could see the visible strain apparent on Zero's face. She knew him enough to know that he probably felt some amount of guilt about what had happened several days prior. The woman frowned momentarily but tried to smile again.

"Zero," she began sympathetically now standing to her feet. "I know there was a lot of needless loss and pain the other day, but what matters is everyone's alright—including me. You could never know how grateful I am for you coming to rescue me like that. I'll always be thankful."

Through her words Zero glanced at the woman, a slight smirk gradually spread across his face. The day wasn't an entire loss, that much was true, and Eve was returned home safely now able to heal from her injuries.

"Nobody hurts my friends," he retorted coolly as ever.

The comment only gave Eve the same boost of confidence as hers seemed to have done for him.

"So," he began, "are you officially out of the infirmary or are you sneaking off?"

"I was just released yesterday evening!" she said cheerfully. "So, no, I am not sneaking off," she concluded defensively crossing her arms.

Eve knew he was playing, a fact that was further made obvious when Zero let out a small chuckle.

"Alright, alright. I thought you'd be elsewhere then if you didn't have to be inside," he pondered aloud. "I remember last time X was in the infirmary you convinced him to sneak out with you."

"Yeah, well, there was that…," she said scratching the side of her face gently, trying not to be so coy. "I was actually thinking about going for a walk myself, but to be honest I'm a little hesitant. I know I feel a bit better, but I'm a little worried. I, uh, don't want to end up passed out like X was when we went for that walk then…," she nervously chuckled.

"Mhm…"

Zero knew that was coming. Her condition did look fine despite whatever ailments she had been suffering through. Obviously, she would remain fine as long as she didn't overexert herself. The Reploid put a hand to his hip unable to see what would be stopping her from going but gave a proposal.

"I could go along with you if you want," he offered easily. "I was going to look for X to see what he's been up to today, but I can hold that off for later."

Anyway, it was the least he could do. Zero was never one for being holled up in a room for too long, so he brandished some consolation for Eve and her desire to get outside and breathe. Much less than that, he wanted to let his hair dry out a bit, so the air would do them both some good.

"Oh, really?" Eve brightened up. "That would be great, thank you! I'd feel a lot better with someone coming along with me, for, well, obvious reasons…"

Again, she let out a silly chuckle.

"Alright, calm down…," her internal monolog hushed.

"Uh, anyway, let's get going! It's a really nice day out, or it looks that way," she corrected quickly. "I had my window open and the air felt fresh and just right."

Zero doubtlessly noted her enthusiasm and kept a subtle smirk on his face. Eve was ostensibly the kind of person to become embarrassed at herself with little to no effort. In a way, it was similar to X. More than not it was just a human thing.

"Guess that means spring is finally coming, doesn't it?" he asked allowed as the two started walking side by side. "That'll sure help the mood around here. Getting sick of it always being dark."

"Yeah," the woman agreed. "So am I. Going off on missions: it's dark, coming home: it's dark. And even the majority of the missions themselves are spent while it's dark." Her brows furrowed. "But now even the weather is getting somewhat warmer. I think this is my favorite time of year."

The two kept up their casual chitchat by the time they reached the nearest exit and stepped outside into the warm sun. The air was still chilly, but the breeze was light and gentle. Still, some snow was piled around the base near the walls unwilling to melt just yet as long as enough shadow was keeping it preserved. Eve could be heard letting out a languid sigh after inhaling the crisp winter air. She glanced over to Zero and smiled.

"Well, let's see how far we get, huh? I might be a bit slow. I haven't really gotten much exercise since I've been in that hospital bed these past several days," she warned almost too sheepishly.

"We'll go at your pace then," Zero reasurred. "Not like I'm in any hurry anyway. I know usually I'd prefer the action of it all but I should probably learn to appreciate these kinds of days more."

"I bet X would agree with you," she concurred with a small laugh.

She yet again cringed inside (and both externally) from her laugh. Her injuries weren't threatening anymore but they surely hurt when she laughed more than just a small titter. The woman held her side for a moment before she started walking again.

"I'll, uh… keep tabs on that," she muttered.

"Don't overdo it," the Reploid gently stressed and took his place at Eve's side once more.

"I'll try not to. Don't worry about me too much," she remarked with a weak smile.

"Yeah, we'll see."

Eve tried not to simper out of embarrassment too deeply but she was awfully grateful to have Zero with her in case anything were to happen. For now, though, she honestly did feel fine. Taking this walk was a great idea. Zero was glad for it, in his own way, of course. It did mean, after all, that he didn't have to spend the next couple hours indoors doing any boring paperwork or any office job, answering phones or the like.

He did, however, occasionally take glances toward Eve to monitor her condition. While she did appear fine, he caught the sight of red color gathering at the sides of her cheeks whenever she was noticed staring back at him. If ever Eve had locked eyes with Zero she immediately glanced away, her face becoming flushed. It was a peculiar thing for the Reploid. She came off as being nervous about something that he couldn't quite pinpoint. Even through their conversations the woman was somewhat reserved and refused to maintain eye contact with him for too long. Zero did know that Eve was kind of a skittish person. She might have been having one of her "moments" he assumed. Regardless, their walk was still enjoyable, despite some quiet every now and again. Zero didn't mind the silence. It was nice. He wasn't the type to constantly be blathering away about nonsense or just talking to fill the void. It was nice to enjoy the cool air and the scenery around them.

While they walked along together near the road somewhat going outward from the city, Eve let herself drift off in thought. Her eyes had found interest in the Reploid beside her. Zero had a very stoic but charming air about him. He always came off as so collected and composed, it was no wonder that he was second in command under Dr. Cain. Still, a nagging voice continued to heckle her and there she was feeling warm on her face.

"I really can't deny that much, can I?" she said inside. "He is… very handsome…"

Eve nearly shut her eyes out of reflex to that bold assertion she mentally confessed.

"No, no, don't you start thinking like that while he's literally right beside you…!"

Zero, in perfect timing, managed to witness the woman shaking her head for some reason, and unknowing of what she was thinking he almost snickered. She was odd.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"Ah, uh…"

Her stammering allowed the Reploid to chuckle again, and Eve, out of embarrassment, cringed inside. She wanted to hide her head in her shirt.

"No, I'm fine," she said chuckling with him, though for a much more nervous reason. "Just got lost in a weird thought and started thinking too much," she vaguely mentioned with a fast wave of her hand.

"Oh, yeah, that sounded great, huh? What the hell, Eve?!"

"You sure about that?" Zero replied, the incredulity obviously written on his smile. "Your face is red."

"I'm… Haha, alright. Color me embarrassed then…," Eve exhaled deeply and crossed her arms. "Or tired."

"We can take a break if you want," the Reploid suggested. "There looks like a place to sit up ahead."

Eve was just glad her friend was not interested enough to press the issue any more, and she quickly agreed to take a seat on a bench just steps ahead. Truthfully, she was feeling a bit fatigued having been walking for more than a half-hour now. A tiny rest was in order and as soon as the two arrived to the bench Even gladly had a seat all the while letting out a sigh. Zero joined her at her side, sitting down and resting back. He watched the woman relax her eyes briefly and sit back against the bench before she turned her attention on him.

"You know, I almost feel a bit… pathetic," she dispiritingly began. "I've spent the past year working so hard and in one instant I'm rendered, well, like this. Barely mobile and kind of useless."

Zero looked off briefly, a thought coming into his mind.

"Just like X…"

It was more than evident that Eve valued her service to the Maverick Hunters; not in the sense that she should always be up and going, but that she wanted to work and help whenever she could. He did commiserate knowing the feeling of being inactive and unable to contribute anything would make a person despondent. However, Zero hardly thought that she was pathetic.

"No," he responded with a slight shake of his head, his focus now on the woman beside him. "It's not like that at all. What happened wasn't some small incident that anyone could easily have made it out of. You nearly lost your life. But you came out of that despite all odds—despite who," Zero continued. "You can't put that kind of guilt on yourself. Because as far as I can see your strength carried you through the impossible. I for one am proud of you for that."

Eve was at a loss of words. Her head gently pointed downward as she felt rather shy for her commander's words. She knew, though, that he had meant them from his heart. Zero never took to sugarcoating the truth, and whatever he spoke was the truth. That only gave Eve a greater sense of respect and admiration for the Reploid.

"You still feel proud of me…?" she bashfully (rather ashamedly) asked, now looking up at him. "Even after the ridiculous stunt I pulled, lying like I did?"

"You were on a mission. Sometimes that requires that some information be held back," Zero replied straight to the point.

"I don't even know if that "mission" was worth it," she said disppointedly, her hands cupped together on her lap. "I'm not sure what I should even do with myself now."

"You continue on," Zero again replied with the same resolution as before. "Eve," Zero placed a hand to her shoulder, "whether you think that your mission was a lost cause or not isn't the point. You've come this far, haven't you? Because of the choices you've made. And I don't think you should waste time regretting them. You're one of the strongest warriors I've ever had the honor of fighting beside and I'll be damned if you think you don't belong here with us despite your plans falling through," argued, but not without support in his voice. "You're a Maverick Hunter. As far as I can tell you belong. And I can guarantee you X would say the same thing."

Eve was filled with zeal listening to this Reploid's vindicating speech on her behalf. She couldn't refute what he said. Not because it would be disrespectful, but because it would prove her wrong even further. Zero was serious and unfaltering, and knowing that X would genuinely think alike brought a smile to her face.

"I… I don't want to leave the Maverick Hunters…," she started with a quiet and unsure voice.

"You're not. Not as long as I'm around," Zero affirmed. "And not just me, X, too, and Dr. Cain. I doubt either of them would be so willing to let someone as good a find as you get away from them."

Those words alone were sufficiently reassuring for Eve. Dr. Cain was human, after all. He would be the most to empathize with her at the end of the day.

"You're… You're right," Eve softly proclaimed, her head nodding back at her friend. "I want to stay with the Maverick Hunters and keep doing my job and helping everyone. I… I had this worry," she voiced quietly after peering at her hands again, "that I would be giving a bad image because of lying about who I was just to get in here. I know it was my mission. Perhaps for a moment I thought it wasn't as altruistic as I originally thought it was because I was telling lies and being so clandestine."

"Everyone knows, secrecy or not, that the person who was out there on the fields fighting with us and abetting the Hunters in their operations was a good one, not a liar," Zero confirmed. "You still have your honor, Eve. Always remember that."

Zero's grip on Eve's shoulder tightened momentarily before he inevitably let it go. The smile on his face was enough to encourage her just that much more. Suddenly, Even didn't feel so upset at herself anymore. There was a lot to appreciate about all of this, how things turned out in the end.

"Thank you, Zero, for everything you do," the woman said now able to look at her friend without having to feel the need to apologize. "You and X… I'm glad I was able to join the Maverick Hunters regardless of the circumstances. I'm looking forward to being able to talk to everything more as myself, the real me, especially Dr. Cain." Eve smiled softly. "I'm really anxious to get working again most of all."

"I bet, considering, what? You were in that room for over a week?"

"Nearly two," she confirmed.

"And you're sure you haven't snuck out at all since today?" he asked with a raised brow.

"Ha ha, Zero." Eve dryly stared. "If I did I would have made it a whole ten feet before passing out and crying for someone to carry me back to bed whenever I woke up again."

The Reploid let out a chuckle granting Eve the same small pleasure.

"You know, it'll be a couple more weeks before I'm allowed to get back out there on the field and join you all," Eve sighed longingly.

"You could always come to the training room and join me in the mornings until then," Zero suggested folding his arms at his chest and sitting back. "Besides, for now there's no signs of any major Maverick activity. Which is both fortunate and inauspicious."

"Yeah, I guess that's true. I don't know that I'd be a great sparring partner, though. I'm sure I'd just slow you down," she said. "I mean, I'm slow…"

"I used to train with X… Believe me, it'll be fine."

Eve couldn't help but laugh, careful to mind the position of her torso.

"Okay, well, then, when we're getting started at least remember to go a little easy on me. I've seen you fighting. It's scary."

"Well, if you're so scared we don't have to fight," he added with a smirk. "We can run some simple training exercises until you get that confidence."

"You know, I am absolutely fine with that," she retorted gaining another chuckle from her friend. "I will learn to take things slowly until I'm all better."

"That's being smart."

"I have my moments!"

The two shared a few more good laughs together before letting the quiet fill in after a few minutes. Again, it hardly was awkward between them, especially not for Zero. The stillness was serene, relaxing. Outside where they were sat was a calm place surrounded by trees with the road not too far off. Still, the sounds of any vehicles were practically silenced by the nature that encompassed them and just enough sunlight came down to shine on them keeping them warm. Eve had found herself relaxing so deeply that she almost could sleep. If the air weren't too cool then maybe that would have been possible. It was all too nice either way.

After a short while of uninterrupted quiet had passed Eve opened her eyes and gently turned her head to peer over at her friend who seemed to have also indulged in basking in the sunlight with his eyes closed and his helmet at his other side. Seeing him without that thing occluding his face only gave the woman incentive to stare. Outside of his already noted cool demeanor Zero was somewhat of an enigma, not to just Eve, really, but to everyone. His origin was somewhat of a mystery, having been brought to the Hunters some years beforehand by Sigma, before his Maverick revolt. Them it was explained to her that Zero himself was Maverick. However, after his (somewhat) violent altercation with Sigma, the Reploid suddenly became "regular" again, without any traces of his hostile Maverick tendies in sight.

As a roboticist, this truly fascinated the woman. She really wondered much about Zero, his history, origins, reasons for supposedly losing the Maverick virus, and so much more. He was quite the captivating Reploid. A good-looker, too! That thought crept into her mind as she stared at Zero and she grimaced catching herself daydreaming again. Briefly, she glanced away putting a hand to her face and she slowly shook her head in shame.

"What is wrong with you, Eve? Ugh…," she inwardly groaned. "Are you really doing this again? I can't even imagine how many people's heads he turns on a daily basis. I've definitely seen some of those women stare on base…"

Eve was agitated to say the very least that she had become such a statistic, but, really, it was terribly challenging to not see her superior in such a way. He hat wit, charm, good looks, skill, and so much to offer. Just thinking about that made the woman get lost again but she quickly reprimanded herself and came back to reality with a harsh thought that forced her to sink back against the bench.

"Yeah…, let's not forget about the competition, the fact that he's so aloof, and that you're a human and he's a Reploid…," she sighed aloud. "I should probably really learn to let go of this fixation I have for him."

Her sigh, however, broke Zero's concentration, and the Reploid in question opened his eyes to check on Eve who looked bother tired and pensive. After being out for so long he wondered if she were ready to return back to base. She wasn't wearing so much in terms of things which would keep her warm while being idle, and while the sun was certainly warm he'd rather her not get sick while she was still recovering.

"Something on your mind?" he asked, though his posture remained relaxed.

"Huh?"

The woman snapped out of her stupor and shook her head. Her cheeks started to feel warm again.

"Um… No, it's nothing," she said dismissively.

"You wanna head back yet?" Zero questioned noting the change of color to her face.

"Yeah, you know, maybe I should head back," Eve sighed. "As much as I like sitting out here I think I should get ready for lunch and rest up in my room."

Moreover, she wanted to get out of here and go home in order to let this embarrassment die so she could even look at Zero in the face next time! She was relieved he couldn't read her thoughts, but, good grief, was she anxious about making anything apparent to him about how she was feeling inside.

Zero stood up from the spot beside her and moved in front of Eve extending a hand out to her to help her up. The way he stood and how his body blocked the sun and gave him a glow nearly made any nerve that Eve had found in the past 5 seconds dwindle into nothing and for a moment she could only stare. Zero observed her reaction. Oh, sure, that was a look he was all too familiar with; the stare of wonder. It made him grin.

"What? Do I have to carry you back?" he teased.

"O-oh, ah… N…" Eve hurriedly took the Reploid's hand. "No… No, no, I'm fine! I was… Sorry, I was spacing out there for a minute…," she said quickly and stood up to her feet with his help. "Heh…"

Eve was sure to be cursing herself inside while Zero made light of her abashment with his smile and faint laughter. But once she was standing he released her hand and grabbed his helmet opting to hold it at his side instead of putting it on.

"Try not to space out while we're walking back. I don't want to lose you along the way," he playfully jested.

"Yeah, yeah," Eve said waving her hand at Zero and deflecting his remark along with it. "Let's go already."

Sometime during their walk back the woman did manage to compose herself better and let her thoughts go elsewhere, some place less mortifying, and her disposition became thoughtful. Zero yet again observed her change and felt curious. Eve might have been as much of a mystery to him as he was to her, unbeknownst to either of them. Then again, maybe it was just that Zero didn't always comprehend human beings and their complex nature so thoroughly.

"Daydreaming?" he bothered to ask.

"Well…"

She quietly hummed out. She was being awfully ruminative.

"I was thinking about a conversation I had with X a few days ago," she explained. "Actually, he wanted to run it by you what we discussed," she said glancing to the Reploid. "It's, um… He wanted to talk to you about our discussion because it's kind of…, well, to be frank it's very controversial."

Eve's brows suggested concern by the way they were risen and Zero's expression only conveyed confusion, yet he was curious as she seemed to always make him somehow.

"Controversial," he repeated more than intrigued. "Now I can only imagine what you two were talking about…"

"It's not like that…!" she defensively remarked and took a moment for pause. "It's about the Mavericks we've defeated. I'm a pretty capable roboticist, not to put myself on such a pedestal or anything, but I know how much it hurts X, and even you, Zero, to have to fight our ex-Hunter comrades, which is why I suggested to X that it may be possible I could repair them once we're all done with this."

"You, what?" Zero said practically stopping in his footsteps. "Repair them?"

He wasn't incredulous of her aptitude and engineering skills but rather the notion in general that their once-friends now-foes could be resurrected. Controversial was an understatement. This was an extremely hot-button proposal sure to cause a lot of questions, not just from the Maverick Hunters but the whole city of Abel. However, Zero was well aware that Eve knew that enough already. This preposterous idea wasn't one without emotion and respect for their former allies.

"Even if you could fix them, I'm not sure how well this will go over with everyone…," he heeded now in deep thought, his arms crossing near his chest.

"I know," Eve solemnly replied. "X expressed worry, too, about how everyone would feel should their friends come back, but more so than that he believes that they deserve a second chance." The woman looked up to Zero. "We saw it ourselves, Zero, more than once. Some of them aren't Maverick, at least not by true definition. Some of them joined Sigma out of fear that if they didn't they would die, or worse, the ones that they cared about would suffer under Sigma's malice. Look at Armage," she contended. "He couldn't fight X when he stood down because it would be dishonorable. As far as I have ever known, Mavericks couldn't care less about honor. Yet he stayed behind and forced X and me to flee before Vava showed up to finish the job. He deserves a second chance to live again and fix the wrongs that he's made—they all do."

Zero closed his eyes as his strides alongside Eve were short to compensate for thinking so hard on the topic. Of course she put her points out there well enough, but she sure was sounding like his best friend right now. X would want this. He would want that his allies be given the chance they rightly deserve to redeem themselves. X, more than any Reploid, maybe even more than most humans, believed in forgiveness and righting wrongs. He'd managed to rope Eve in as well. But perhaps that's just who she was, too, at her core. The blond-haired Reploid let out a faint sigh through his nose and looked ahead.

"I don't know if we'll be able to get the clearance for such a project like that, but… I won't lie and say that I don't necessarily disagree with you, or with X," he answered and put his gaze on the woman. "You're clearly the expert here next to Dr. Cain when it comes to the Maverick virus and how it works. I'm sure if you talk to him he'd probably want to follow through with your plan. Reploids like Armage weren't just machines to the doctor. I know he sees all of us like some kind of family. And if it were possible to bring things back to the way they used to be—or close to it—I can't imagine that he'd be so disinclined and refuse."

Cain was an aging man and even Zero was aware of his mortality. X seemed to be aware the most of them all. He had some kind of inkling, maybe an instinct, to know that the doctor could only be with them for so much longer, and to see the world become a better place should be something he ought to have before he departed from this world. But the controversy was heavy and the red-armored Reploid only sighed.

"I know this will probably need to be held off for awhile until the dust has all settled, but I just wanted to put it out there. So, thanks, Zero, for listening," Eve expressed humbly.

"I'm not going to say that anyone might see something like this happen, but I can't help but feel that with X backing you toward the doctor it just might," he admitted. "Anyway, you've got my permission—as long as you're sure…"

"R-really…?" Eve stopped and faced her friend with hope in her eyes.

Zero stopped, his arms resting at his sides. Her face was priceless. They were filled with pure joy and anticipation.

"If you think you'll know what to do when that time comes then, yeah, I'll back you up, too. I'd be happier anyway knowing that those who've fallen can come back to us anew and, well…, it'd be as though our family was mostly whole again."

"Aaww! Thank you so much, Zero!" Eve chanted gleefully cupping her hands together. "You do have an empathetic heart like X does after all!"

She could bounce off the ground if it wouldn't agitate her injuries so much.

"I, what…?"

"You're so sweet," she cooed.

"Alright…"

With a mostly exasperated look the Reploid turned Eve around and gently pushed her forward so they could get on their way already. Anyone could call what just happened a fluke or maybe Zero was actually embarrassed to be called out like that. Being "fluffy" wasn't exactly his normal demeanor, but he did care. Just in his own antisocial way. Eve was elated by his decision and grateful for his support. Also, she was glad that he was on the receiving end of bashfulness this time and not her!

Another conversation ineluctably sparked as they neared closer to HQ but when there was silence their trip back was, regardless, a pleasant one. The two eventually returned back to base which Eve was happy for as her stomach had been nagging her for something to eat. They'd been gone for nearly two hours and a meal was well overdue for her. Eve parted ways with Zero after he was certain she was alright and returned to her room for the remainder of the day. Despite her moments of insecurity a little while ago the woman was feeling, well, great, all things considered! The idea that she pitched to Zero went well and she was eager to see where it would go when the time was right. Until then, she wanted to continue recovering and aid along X and Zero in their mission to bring this Maverick war to an end.

In the upcoming days Eve spent much of her time adjusting on base again (reintegrating herself as… herself) and getting better. Within a week her condition did improve and her injuries were, for the most part, healed up. However, in that time, X and Zero were sent on their next mission, which unfortunately she wasn't able to join. They were sent to the oceanside several kilometers away. Launcher Octopuld of the 6th Armada was planning a naval assault on the residents of the shore and intended to cut off cargo deliveries to the area. Eve didn't know him personally (much like any of the others) but she was told that during Sigma's revolt Octopuld was one of the first to leave with him. That was a shame to her considering how she had felt before in her proposal to repair the other Mavericks. Octopuld clearly had gone Maverick. Eve wondered how she could fix someone like that if his decision was a willful one. It was a lot more complicated than she thought considering, still, this was a huge mystery to Reploid scientists even now.

Nevertheless, twenty-one hours after their deployment X and Zero had returned and they had successfully subjugated their enemy bringing his remains (like the others) back to base and to a secure warehouse where they had been kept for the time being.

"Since Octopuld has been subdued," Eve began, "who's left now?"

The woman looked over to Zero as she sat nearby him in the training room. She wasn't exactly joining her friend in practicing her moves right now—she was mostly there for support. Zero, taking a break from the last simulation he ran, was stood with his back against the wall, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"There were a lot of them who left, but the one's stationed at this base… There's only two left now," he answered, his gaze focused out into the wide room. "Kuwanger and Chameleao."

"X looked kind of sad when I saw him leave the briefing room earlier," she commented quietly.

"He was close with Kuwanger," the Reploid answered. "They worked together on missions while in the 17th Battalion. I don't think X is looking forward to fighting him."

The truth was X wasn't ever looking forward to facing his friends as enemies, but it was harder when he collaborated with them closely. Eve frowned and stared aimlessly at her feet.

"We have information that he's taken over Abel's central communication tower," he continued, "By the looks of it he intends to use it as a base of operations. I have a suspicion that Kuwanger's hoping to draw X out by being conspicuous."

"How come?" she asked unsurely, her head glancing up to Zero.

"I don't know his true intentions other than setting up a trap for us which would be too obvious for someone like him," Zero explained. "Kuwanger was probably the most rational when it came to executing strategies. This would be too easy and he's probably well aware of that."

"That's foreboding…," Eve said.

"He was a high rank among us after all. There's a lot to be cautious of," he agreed with a small nod and folded his arms. "I'm worried X might not take easily to this mission. It'll probably be hard for him given their former relationship."

"X really doesn't want to fight anyone… He still tries hard despite how difficult it is. When it came to Armage, I was surprised that his talking him down actually worked. Do you think it'd be the same for Kuwanger?"

"Diplomacy isn't something we should make ourselves comfortable with when dealing with Mavericks," he said looking down at Eve. "I know what we talked about the other week probably gives you comfort that some of them can change, but it just isn't a guarantee. Armage was an exception that it turned out he wasn't Maverick in the end. However, having just dealt with Octopuld that wasn't the case. He harbored a deep-rooted loathing for humans, claiming their inferiority was worth their subjection. Mandriller and Penguigo weren't far off from his line of thinking either as I'm sure you remember."

Hearing that part about Octopuld somewhat hurt. Actually, it really hurt. Did he honestly feel that way about her kind? Even before Sigma started this war? She felt insecure regarding Chameleao as well, now wondering just where he stood in all of this.

"What about Egleed?" she questioned. "I don't truly believe he'd gone Maverick in the end."

"You and I both know it's not that black and white, but we can't take our chances," he further stated. "Bringing diplomacy onto Boomer's doorstep won't work. If he's sided with Sigma he's done so for reasons that he's deemed infallible. That alone makes him a Maverick."

"You're saying there's no reason he'd have joined from fear like Armage did."

Eve let out a defeated sigh.

"I guess it's just hard for me to not hold out on the hope that if he's as smart as you say he is, maybe he'd choose to come back seeing that he was wrong."

"He won't see that, Eve, if he can't see things that way to begin with," Zero replied. "As useless as that sounds, that's just the way it is. When Mavericks make up their minds there's no changing them."

The thought saddened her, of course, but she couldn't press the issue any further otherwise she would probably send her friend out of the room in annoyance. She had no choice but to concede for now and instead was eager to change the topic to something a little less grim.

"I, um…"

Eve spoke out after a moment of quiet had come and gone.

"I forgot to mention that I had a talk with Dr. Cain the other day. I went to see him because I wanted to talk to him about where I stood with the Maverick Hunters. Unsurprisingly, he looked at me like I was talking gibberish," she sighed almost laughing. "You were right. Turns out I have been where I should be all along."

As she stood up on her feet Zero gave the woman a slight grin and removed his arms from his chest placing a hand to his hip. Like he ever had a doubt.

"Though, I don't think I'll be able to join you guys in time for your next mission, I'll have to try to get into shape until the one after," she promised returning a sincere smile.

"You could get a head start now, you know? You've been out of the field for almost three weeks," he suggested.

"Honestly, Zero…, I wouldn't even know where to start," she admitted coyly, placing a hand to the back of her neck. "My old suit is pretty much busted and I haven't had the chance yet to make a new one, and, well, given that it operated a buster canon and I don't really have one, I'm kind of at a loss for a new fighting style."

"Then pick up the saber."

"The saber…? Like yours?"

"Right," he easily answered and tossed his saber toward her.

"O-oh…!"

Eve caught the compact weapon in her hands somewhat awkwardly. She stared at it, her expression dubious as she thought how on earth she could use such a tool to her advantage.

"I… don't know, Zero… I don't think I'm a bad fighter, I mean, but… I've never really fought close-quarters before, let alone with a saber."

"More the reason you should practice and learn how to use one."

"Well, you sure make it sound easy… You plan on teaching me?"

"You didn't think you were going to get lessons from X, did you?" he remarked with a grin.

"Does X even know how to fight with a saber?" she wondered aloud.

"More than you."

Ever pursed her lips and gently crossed her arms as she stared at her smug friend.

"Alright, then, "El Cid." Why don't you show me some techniques and flex your saber muscle?" she quipped in return.

Zero didn't lose his smile for a second. He wouldn't deny that teasing her was kind of fun. If anything just to get that kind of reaction out of her was worth the sarcasm she defensively spat out at him.

"Okay, I'm sure you could learn something—if you pay attention," the Reploid riposted smoothly, turning his back to Eve and walking to the center of the wide room.

Well, Eve was properly floored and her cheeks becoming red indicated that much. Just watching him turn around like that… And that smirk… The way he looked at her… Oh, she was not about to let herself go there right now. Eve immediately dismissed the feeling of being flustered and followed the Reploid to the center of the room. She kept his saber in her hands and stood across from him.

"Well," she spoke up, "what're we going to practice first? I'm not exactly dressed for the occasion."

Eve's clothes were a simple jumpsuit, which was good enough for mobility but offered little to no safety against an offensive attack.

"Relax. We won't do anything too serious," Zero answered now facing the woman. "I'll teach you some basic stances and defense moves—easy ones," he reassured.

"Okay, let's start then. I think I'm ready."

"Alright. Let me run down some basics about swordplay for you. You probably already have some image about what it's all about having seen enough of it yourself firsthand, but let's make one thing clear: swordplay expects foul play," Zero explained. "If you don't get along with the idea that you'll have to fight dirty to survive then you should put down the saber and walk away. Otherwise, we'll keep going."

"Given what we've been dealing with, I don't think fighting fair is an option…," Eve noted, though not without some discontent.

"It isn't. This is why X chose not to continue mastering the saber. Out of principality, or rather a lack thereof, it doesn't suit him. I'm curious about you, though," he cryptically said as he crossed his arms.

"Well… I know I share a lot of X's sentiments when it comes to dealing with our foes. But I also understand what you were talking about earlier, about bringing diplomacy to Mavericks when there's a great chance they won't extend the same gesture. I'd really rather not have to hurt anyone, but I think… I'd rather live more…"

"So then you learn to fight to live," Zero said with a firm nod and relaxed his posture. "Trust me, everyone wants peace, but peace was never founded on pleasant talks alone. It gets gruesome. We're all aware of that. But as long as we're on the same page, we can continue. Besides knowing that you'll have to fight unfairly to gain an advantage, there're other important axioms. You need to train your body to be able to withstand the art. Using a saber takes a lot of physical conditioning, but that applies more to you than to me. Keeping calm, staying tough, maintaining an unpredictable rhythm, bearing confidence, intimidating your opponent, timing your moves right, and using caution are all equally necessary components to becoming a competent swordsman. Think you can handle all of that?"

Eve let out a faint sigh and glanced down to Zero's saber in her hands. It sounded like a lot that she had to develop but maybe some of those things she was already ahead on. That thing about rhythm, though… Eve wasn't technically the owner of two left feet, but she could be a bit more graceful on her toes. Well, it looked like she would just have to try a bit harder in some faucets than others for now.

"I think so," she finally responded giving her commander a firm nod of her head.

"Good. Then the first thing we should get started with is knowing where you're vulnerable from an attack," he said approaching Eve. "There are eight angles of attack. Here and here," he gestured diagonally moving downward from her shoulders, "here and here," he continued in the opposite direction, "from here to here," he motioned with his hand from side to side at her midsection, "and from here… to there," lastly he illustrated by moving his hand straight down from her head to her pelvis.

Eve felt shy with him being so close like that, and his gestures, while clearly for educational purposes, made it a bit difficult to look at him. She sort of shrunk back into her shoulders at the thought of someone taking a sword vertically up through her torso. A very ghastly image to think of. Zero interpreted the look on her face as having understood that and chuckled.

"Yeah, that's why you keep the principles of swordplay in mind, so that doesn't happen. Strike first or get struck down. Swordplay's mostly an offensive art of fighting, but we'll get the defensive part out of the way first since it's the easiest discipline to learn without engaging in combat," the Reploid clarified. "Not to mention you'll need it at some point anyway despite wanting to be offensive most of the time."

"Okay, so, what kind of defensive stances does swordplay employ?" the woman curiously asked.

"There are five of them. Easy enough, right?"

Zero stood at Eve's side and took a pose with his feet spread slightly and his right arm held above his head.

"This one is used to defend yourself from an overhead attack. But keep your arm far enough above your head that there's enough distance to maintain the force of an oncoming strike."

Eve watched her instructor and imitated his stance. It seemed simple enough, so she was confident she could master the other four poses, too!

"If you put your arm downward," he showed moving with his words, "you'll prevent a rising vertical strike."

"Okay, I think this is pretty easy to understand," Eve said humming holding the same pose as Zero.

"It's obvious in precept for sure but not so much in execution. Just remember that. Let me show you the other four stances."

For the next half-hour or so Eve watched and copied her friend as he instructed her more thoroughly on methods of blocking and protecting herself from an attack. Like Zero had said, it was an obvious thing, thus it was easy to learn and remember, but actually performing and deploying the means to keep herself safe wasn't going to be that smooth at first.

"How about we try a little execution then?" he suggested now stepping in front of her. "I'll come at you from an angle and you try to rebuff it with what you just learned."

"A-alright. I can try. You're not… actually going to use a saber, are you?" Eve asked cautiously.

"You've got mine as defense. Don't worry. I won't move fast or anything," he said with a grin and stepped out of the room.

Eve breathed out and again she peered down at the saber in her hands. She wasn't afraid of getting hurt, really. She trusted her friend. Still, the idea of getting burned by accident from one of these sabers didn't sound great. She did just get her freedom from the infirmary… After a moment Zero rejoined Eve in the training room bringing back another saber for himself to use in demonstration. He activated the bright weapon and its humming sound forced the woman to glance over to him.

"Get ready," he instructed and stood several feet before her.

His pupil put on her brave face and activated his saber in her hands. She took a neutral stance, one she already was familiar with in combat, and waited for Zero to strike her quarters. The Reploid would be true to his words and take it slow at first to give Eve the benefit of deflecting his attacks and learning by getting familiar with them. He wanted to teach her to react to a pattern in order to build an instinct from recognition. At first, learning like that was fairly easy for Eve which gave her confidence a little boost, but that would change when Zero sped up his offensive maneuvers.

"This is kind of hard…," she inwardly thought trying not to slip up in her efforts to block the strikes her friend was dealing out. "He's going much more quickly now…!"

She was beginning to work up a sweat!

"Watch your footing," Zero said continuing his assault.

Eve grunted trying to focus on her feet as well as the position of her arms and the location of the saber. Deflect after deflect, switching angle to angle. Eve, overwhelmed by input and uncertainty to make a quicker decision, failed to block the next attack, and the next thing she knew was that her commander's saber was right next to her by her face, so close she could almost feel the heat that the weapon was giving off. The woman was panting, exhausted from all of the pushing and moving she had done thus far. There was a look of shock on her face as Zero deactivated his weapon, its light dissipating from thin air.

"Not bad," he commended.

She swallowed and with one big breath exhaled and deactivated the saber in her possession next. Her arms fell at her sides and her eyes became heavy.

"You know…," she breathed deeply, "I should have known… you wouldn't stay slow…"

The woman sighed out and let her upper body go limp. She was beyond tired from such a rigorous exercise.

"You kept up pretty for a while there," he replied. "You learn fast, Eve. What was that you said the other day about you being slow?"

"Well, I mean… I was just…," she panted. "I… I was being humble, Zero."

"Why?"

There was something he didn't quite seem to get when she said that. Clearly the woman was a capable fighter and in his opinion there was nothing wrong with bragging about it.

"You should really learn to stop selling yourself so short, you know that?"

Eve's cheeks were red, her eyes fixed downward. The Reploid gently shook his head. Being self-effacing wasn't a thing he was familiar with in himself, but evidently Eve was and he probably wasn't going to be able to change that overnight. He didn't really want to anyway.

"Why don't you get some rest? You worked hard," he said.

"Yeah," Eve agreed with a small nod of her head, a small smile finding its way to her face. "Alright. Thank you, Zero, for your lesson today."

She looked at the blond Reploid gratefully and held his saber to him to which he refused, pushing her hand back down.

"Kept it for now. You can practice with it in the meanwhile whenever you feel like coming down here."

She was confused initially and then widemouthed wanting to offer the weapon back once more.

"I can't take this from you; it's your weapon," she said.

"Yeah, and there's like a hundred more of them in the armory," Zero refuted with a gentle shrug. "It's alright, Eve, you can have it for now."

"Are you sure…?"

She stared at the saber. It was unique from the others. This was his. Its design was slightly different and it was worn from use in combat. She wanted to take care of it for him if he was going to let her hold on to it, even if it was really just a saber to him in the end.

"I'll put it to good use, I promise," Eve shyly vowed.

"I know you will," the Reploid, with a confident grin, nodded, placing a hand to his friend's shoulder. "Rest up. The sooner you do, the quicker you can come back here and practice."

"Alright. I'll catch you later, Zero. Thanks again."

His smile brought on one of her own and after letting her go the woman left the training area and headed back to her room for the remainder of the day. Her body was going to feel sore tomorrow. After not being in combat for about three weeks this one day of hard exercise would probably keep Eve from doing much the next day.

Lo and behold, come the following morning, Eve slept well past 8am and didn't find the energy to get out of bed until nearly 9 before deciding she wouldn't be such a slug. She lazily swept the covers off of her and headed off to shower. Her eyes caught a glimpse of Zero's saber which she had placed safely on a nearby stand last night. The woman smiled fondly at it. He gave her quite the workout yesterday but it was appreciated and now it was a fond memory. She intended to practice with it while he and X were out on their next mission. Speaking of which, Eve knew that since her teammates were aware of where their next target was waiting (out in the open as a matter of fact) they probably wouldn't be on base for much longer. Honestly, she wondered if they might have left already. Hastily, she showered up and got herself changed, though not without grimacing whenever she moved her arms up to put them through her sleeves, and hurried out of her quarters.

"Hey, X? Do you copy?" the woman asked over her communicator.

If he answered he was probably still around somewhere on base.

"I copy," he replied barely seconds later. "Is everything alright?"

Eve sighed out in relief slowing down her pace as she walked through the hallways.

"I'm alright. Just a bit tired," she answered. "I just wanted to see if you and Zero were still here. I wondered if you'd both had already been deployed."

"We'll be on base for the next couple hours. Zero and I have been prepping for the mission until then," he clarified. "Zero said you'd still be out of commission for a little while."

"Yeah, I'm mostly all healed up, but the medics told me I need to take it easy for just a little bit more. If you weren't going for another couple of days I probably would have been able to join you, except… Well, I still need to work on a new set of armor for myself," she hummed.

"It's better if you stay here and get the rest you need, Eve," her friend said without hesitation. "With Sigma's generals having been mostly eliminated, I think things will only become more hostile."

"Yeah…," the woman agreed somberly. "I do want to join you both again, though. I know you'll need all the help you can get… And, today, X… Please be careful. You and Zero."

"We will be."

X's reply was confident but as solemn as his friend's. Eve knew of the implications of going after Kuwanger today and she worried for X. This was going to be a tough mission for many reasons.

"Good," she gently uttered. "Are you with Zero right now? I wanted to see you both before you had to go."

"Yeah, we're in the depot loading up the transport vehicles and securing supplies. We'll wait for you."

"I'll hurry."

Eve ended the transmission and rushed across the base and down to the ground floor to the transport warehouse where her friends were waiting. It was busy in there, Reploids moving back and forth carrying things from one end of the long room to the other, loading up vehicles, etc. She spotted her easily detectable partners and hurried over to them.

"Came to say farewell?" Zero asked joining X at his side.

"I did actually. I hope you won't be gone for too long. I just wanted to wish you luck and safety while you're both out there."

"We'll try to make it quick," X answered with a nod of his head.

Eve wanted to tell X to try and break through to the Maverick in question, but she had the conversation from yesterday with Zero on her mind and couldn't get the words out. Instead she took her partner's hands in hers, a gesture which X had since grown fond of, and squeezed his hands tightly as if to try and say what she was thinking to him.

"Hold the base for us while we're gone," he said to give the woman some encouragement.

"I'll try," she promised eventually releasing his hands from her firm grip.

"We should finish securing transport and taking inventory for now."

X put a hand on his friend's shoulder and gave her a faint smile.

"Alright. I won't keep you any longer."

"Zero."

X looked to his friend in red who gave a nod. As X started off Zero glanced to Eve before he followed after him.

"Try not to get too lonely without us," he said with a grin. "Later."

Eve watched her Reploid companions get back to work after they left her with a gentle smile on her face. She would try to not become too lonesome or worried in their absence, but couldn't make any promises. The woman didn't interfere with their preparations but she stuck around until it was officially time for them to leave. She saw the two off when they headed into their aircraft trying not to be so obvious about her concerns. With a deep breath she sighed out. She would see them soon enough.

For now, as much as she wanted to go to the training room to practice, she thought it would be better to grab a bite to eat and then start working on a design for her new set of armor. Eve already had an idea in mind and wanted to sketch it out quickly and get to work! For the rest of the day she was busy drawing up rough drafts and making notes of the materials she would need for her project.

X and Zero didn't return to the base until late. Eve had already gone to bed by then. It was successful. The Maverick Hunters managed to seize back the communications tower and defeat their adversary. The news came to Eve the next day when she was out and about around the base from another Hunter who informed her. She was relieved everything turned out alright, but was saddened that no resolution could have been reached.

"That leaves one left from what Zero told me the other day…," she hummed aloud. "Chameleao. I wonder where he's hiding…"

Eve, lost in her thoughts, rounded a corner, her hands carrying a bag with her art supplies in it, and absentmindedly bumped into someone inevitably dropping everything onto the ground including herself.

"Oooh…!" she winced and yelped aloud.

The woman had stumbled into Zero while he was turned around. She didn't disturb him so much more than nudging him a few inches.

"Huh?"

The sound of items bouncing and clanking on the floor made him turn around quicker. He was still surprised, but when he discovered just who had walked right into him her crossed his arms. There was Eve on the ground with paints splattered and papers scattered around her. The bottle of water she used to her paint brushes was also spilled gracefully on her lap.

"Ooh…," she groaned. "Ohh, my paint… Eugh, the water's on me… Gross… Uh…?"

Looking up with blinking eyes Eve registered the person she had collided with and immediately became embarrassed.

"Let me guess, daydreaming while walking?" he asked with conviction.

"Umm…"

Zero shook his head and offered his hands out to help Eve up from off the ground. She took them with some reluctance and when she was on her feet she gave her friend a bashful smile. He reciprocated with a similar grin.

"What exactly were you doing?"

"Well…, I was just finishing up painting something," she explained. "Which is now all over the floor…"

"Hm?"

Curiously, Zero looked down at the papers and things Eve was carrying strewn about on the floor around them both. He let go of her hands, which Eve had forgotten to do, and picked up a piece of paper that had a drawing on it. Rather nonplussed, the woman hid her hands behind her back and glanced away briefly. She hadn't meant to hold onto his hands more than just a second. Luckily he appeared to be distracted by what she painted. Her eyes returned to him and realized that he was inspecting her artwork. Now, she was beginning to feel self-conscious.

"I never knew you could draw this well," Zero spoke in surprise.

"Huh…?"

"Is this supposed to be an idea for your new suit?" the Reploid questioned and picked up another piece of paper to look it over as well. "These are interesting designs. I guess you've done this before already, though, so it's not shocking they look well-thought out."

"You… think so?"

"I mean your last suit was pretty good, so, yeah."

Eve smiled shyly.

"I wanted it to be a bit different but carry the same color scheme like the last one," the woman said. "I was actually going to head downtown to get some supplies to start making it. But…"

"We don't have what you need here?" Zero inquired.

"Not exactly everything. I mean, mostly, yes, but there are some things I'll have to get from elsewhere," she explained.

"Now I'm curious. What exactly would you need that can't be found here?" the Reploid wondered.

"As resourceful as the Maverick Hunter HQ is, it's not a parts manufacturer. There are some small components and other materials which I need to go from a specialist."

"Guess that's a fair point. Which one of these are you going to make?"

Zero examined more of the drawings after picking them up from off of the floor.

"Right now, I'm pretty fond of this one," she pointed to one of the papers in his left hand.

"Hmm…"

Zero shifted the other papers to hold them all in his opposite hand but the one she had pointed out and held it in front of him to get a side-by-side comparison with Eve.

"Is that "hmmm…" good?" the woman unsuredly asked.

He dragged it out a little while longer to goad her worries and frustrate her, which seemed to have worked when she glared at him at crossed her arms.

"Looks good."

"Really…?" she sighed.

"Yeah. I think it'll suit your form."

Finally, she could smile and relax. For some reason his phrasing made her blush, however.

"I'd like to see it when it's finished."

Zero returned the drawings to Eve and began to pick up the things she had dropped earlier.

"Well…," she began unassumingly, "you can come into town with me if you'd like, and help me get the things I need."

"I'm not really one for outings like that," he breathed out as he picked up the bottle of spilled water. "The city center is always crowded anyway. People stare too much and ask questions."

"Oh. Yeah, that's true. You are… You and X are pretty popular," she somewhat disappointed. "But, what if you didn't wear your armor?" she inquired. "People probably wouldn't notice right away. Maybe it'd be too late if when they did."

"Go without my armor?"

Zero looked at her from the ground and stood up.

"Yeah, maybe."

Eve merely stared at him with hopeful eyes and said nothing else. She was silently begging him. Zero let out a soft sigh.

"Alright, I'll go with you," he unenthusiastically agreed and put a hand to his hip in typical fashion.

His friend smiled and chuckled softly, happy for the turn around.

"You know, you agreed to go out with me a lot more easily when I was recuperating the other week. Should I pretend to have an injury so you'll go places with me instead of begging for you to go?"

"I didn't say I minded you begging."

"I'll meet you in transport in thirty minutes, you sadist," she lightly huffed and squinted her eyes.

Giving her a smirk and her items back, Eve bit her bottom lip and hurried off.

Eve gained composure by the time she returned to her room and set her things aside to properly put them away later whenever she came back. She sighed and wiped her hands on her damp damps and shook her head.

"I never know what to expect with him―though at this point I really should."

The woman walked to her bathroom and began unchanging. Her clothes would need a good wash later as the dirtied water left faded, dark paint blotches on them. Eve fixed herself up in her usual jumpsuit and put on a jacket with the Hunter insignia as well as her badge present on it. It would keep her warm enough while out. After putting on her boots and throwing a small bag around her shoulder Eve set off to transport. There she spotted her friend waiting by the entrance. He'd taken her suggestion after all and opted to forego his armor in exchange for something rather casual. It suited him.

"Oh, you got here before me," she greeted with a smile. "Guess you really must want to go!"

"No, you're just late like usual," Zero quipped.

"I call it temporizing, thank you." Eve folded her arms in defense. "Anyway, you good to go?"

"Mhm. Let's get a vehicle."

Zero walked into the transport room with Eve and let her lead them to the terminal in which they would catalog their excursion, and shortly after checking in and receiving the keys they picked their vehicle.

"So, are you driving or am I?" the woman asked as they neared the car.

"Well, since you're always late and drive too fast to compensate, I will," the Reploid volunteered and stepped over to the driver's side, letting himself in.

"I wouldn't drive fast today," she refuted while stepping in through the passenger's side. "I don't have anywhere to be. But, if you're going to be my chauffeur I won't disagree."

"Am I getting paid?"

"Either you let me drive and suffer the anxiety from it, or you drive and get nothing."

"I get a chance to live," he argued.

"Oh, shut up and go," she muttered, punching his shoulder gently.

Zero grinned at his agitated friend and started up the vehicle. While driving out of the base and toward the heart of the city Eve relaxed and took to listening to whatever came on the radio. Somehow the city itself outside seemed alright despite everything. Still, there was an air of uncertainty and fear given the circumstances, but life had to continue on no matter what. It did make the woman happy whenever she saw the busy city of Abel. She couldn't imagine a better place to have grown up in. Look where it brought her now anyway.

"By the way, Zero. How's X holding up?" she asked somewhat out of nowhere.

"He's alright," the Reploid answered. "I know it hasn't been easy for him, but he's getting by. Unfortunately we still weren't able to get any information about Sigma's whereabouts. Wherever he is, him being quiet doesn't sit well."

"There hasn't been a word from him since this whole catastrophe's started… Vava on the other hand…"

Eve glowered from her seat.

"Vava is a bigger coward than Sigma. He shows himself when he knows he has the advantage and flees before any potential threat can disable him," Zero abruptly remarked. "He's nothing more than a tool to Sigma."

"Vava really seems to think he has his own agenda despite doing Sigma's bidding," she replied.

"He's being used. Vava's far too arrogant and delusionary to think he'd get his way in the end. He hasn't changed."

"Was he always like this…? Even as a Maverick Hunter?"

She almost didn't want to know. Vava was frightening beyond words. To imagine him as being the way he is now while a member of the Maverick Hunters was unsettling.

"Vava hardly took orders from anyone, even Sigma when he was under his command in the 17th Elite Unit. He was arrested on a final account and put in the brig for constantly putting his comrades and innocent bystanders in harm's way. He was broken from the start. Vava always did things his way without any care for anyone else. And his grudge he harbors for X… He can't let it go."

"I've heard him. He really hates X. I just don't understand why."

"Because X has more potential, at least according to Dr. Cain and Sigma," Zero explained, glancing to his friend. "Vava's pitiful. He'd hold onto jealousy even if it destroyed him."

"X's potential… That's the very thing that Sigma became obsessed over, isn't it? Him not technically being a Reploid at all but a machine with limitless potential. Vava doesn't have that."

"Vava would have you think he doesn't need whatever X has; that he's better. But X constantly holds himself back to the point of still remaining ranked as B-Class. And at this point? I'm pretty sure you've surpassed him in combat. But that's the thing. That's what makes him better than Vava," he said. "Not so much in specs, but maybe so in resolution. I still don't really understand X, but I do find I'm at odds with the idea of his limitless potential. Most Reploids believe that what X has is the opposite. Sometimes I think I still do, too… But I'm not so sure."

"His empathy, you mean? That it's a weakness. It's a weakness to be like a human, to have all kinds of emotions. You've changed your mind about that?"

"I don't think it's a weakness to be like a human," Zero corrected somewhat surprised by her comment. "I just meant that…"

"I know what you meant. Sorry, I didn't mean to make it sound like I was twisting your words." Eve gently shook her head with a soft smile. "X holds himself back because he worries. But it sounds like you're starting to feel convinced that it's not truly a weakness after all, but an advantage. That's the limitless potential."

Zero wasn't very certain about it himself quite yet, but there was something remarkable about his friend and his persistence. What he did have faith in was that X would see the end of Sigma and the Mavericks. Perhaps in some way that was the conviction he needed to wash away any doubt. The Reploid stared off ahead rather pensively and Eve glanced at him understanding that he was probably lost in thought about their conversation.

"He's such a good friend to X," she thought inwardly. "I don't think Zero realizes that he and X are so much alike at the same time."

Much of the remainder of the ride was spent quietly between the two, the silence either disrupted by the radio or any random comment Eve made. The place where she wanted to visit was almost directly downtown, so the first thing was to find a parking space and walk the rest of the way to their destination.

"Do you know exactly where you need to go?" Zero said as they drove up to an above ground parking lot.

"Yep! It's like I said earlier, it's not really far from this place, so we don't have to walk for probably more than ten minutes 'til we get there," she replied in a pleasant hum. "I mean, we probably could have parked closer but it's lunchtime, so everyone and their grandma would be fighting us for a spot, and since you didn't let me drive we wouldn't have got one."

"That just reaffirms my decision," he said giving a grin. "I'd rather you not go to jail for a hit and run."

"Oh, I would never hit and run away! I'm no coward," she retorted, her arms crossed her chest and her head turned to the side in confidence.

"Hm, so you'd stay and finish the job, right?"

"If I saw that spot first…"

She gave a stare at her friend which indicated determination and suspicion. Of course Eve was being playful but she had a way with expression that might make anyone think otherwise. Zero shook his head at her less than shocked but more than amused.

"Don't expect me to pay your bail."

"Don't worry. I know X will."

This whole conversation was strictly hyperbolic, but honestly Zero wondered about that statement to the point that he actually laughed more than a snicker. Even Eve joined in finding amusement in this strange scenario. Naturally she wasn't this terrible of a driver and couldn't hold much of a grudge out on the road (though the elderly drivers did make her sore sometimes).

Coming to a stop after having a place to park at last Eve unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out of the vehicle seconds only before her friend had and took her bag by its strap and draped it over her shoulder. Zero shut the door to the car locking it and went toward Eve.

"Alright. Lead the way."

Eve nodded and while beside her friend walked out of the parking complex. It had been weeks since she was outside like this in the city. Or, rather, it had been months since she was out like this, herself, no disguise, no injuries. Just walking freely and enjoying the sights and the atmosphere. As much as she wanted to go out into the fray with her partners she would appreciate the downtime and the lack of apparent conflict.

Walking beside him outside she sometimes got lost in admiring her friend. It wasn't really his looks more so that it was the idea of him, or how good a fighter he was, how strong and decisive he could be. Granted, it was random, but Eve couldn't help it much, or she didn't want to help it. And, well, frankly, his looks did distract her oftentimes anyway. She found a lot of attraction in Zero for many reasons, but just couldn't come out with being honest about it toward him. For once, though, it was interfering with her sense of composure and Eve could maintain a calm demeanor next to the Reploid while they wandered off into the city in search of the supplies she needed. Maybe the idea of enjoying his company was enough to keep the woman calmed down and content.

"Hey, Zero," Eve asked. "What'll you do after all of this is over? When we take of Sigma?"

The two had just left one shop. Eve, now carrying some supplies in a bag, brought up that unique question to which Zero hummed thoughtfully at.

"I don't really know," he answered honestly. " Probably still keep doing what I still do now. Just because Sigma will be gone doesn't mean Mavericks will stop being Mavericks."

"I was hoping you would say that. I don't really want to stop fighting either. I mean, I'd like the fighting to end, but I think being with the Maverick Hunters means too much for me to want to part ways with it when all of the worst conflict is gone."

"Good. You should stay. They'll need you."

The two shared an amicable smile. She would have asked about X but she had a feeling she already knew the answer. X didn't like fighting, so she was sure that when all of this was finished he would put down his buster and refrain from using it again if he could.

"Does that mean you'll keep teaching me how to use the saber then?"

"If that's what you want," he generously replied.

"Well, yeah, of course!" Eve exclaimed. "I feel like I could get really good at it."

"You think so? I'd say you don't seem to be doing so bad now. You could probably get better quicker if you didn't sleep in all the time," Zero commented giving his friend a glance.

"Rest is important, Zero, and I'm no stranger to important things."

"I know you've got your priorities straight in other things, but you really sleep too much."

"I can't hear you, Zero, sorry. This road is reaaally noisy…," Eve commented while looking away and walking faster towards an intersection.

Zero sighed and followed after Eve crossing the street alongside her. Making it to the other side the woman chuckled at her friend, who was apparently very hard to impress, and turned forward again seeing a park nestled neatly in the city. She visited it sometimes when she had the time to. It was always nice to have nature in the middle of so much technology. There was plenty of snow still covering up the ground there and it was even on the trees from the snowfall the other day. Eve chuckled.

"Remember the other week when we thought spring was here?" she asked as they neared the park. "Guess Abel wasn't ready yet."

"Yeah, guess not. That was a lot of snow," he noted.

But his unaffected look was made confused when he saw the expression Eve had on her face. She was shocked, then she looked worried, and then suddenly she gasped and hurried into the entrance of the park.

"Zero, let's go in!" she said already way ahead of the Reploid.

"What're you doing? Eve! Geez…"

He walked in at his own pace, nevertheless, to go after his excited companion.

"What is she up to…?"

Zero wondered why Eve had gotten so worked up and ran off like that. He scouted the area to find a trace of her but didn't see her at first amidst the other people and the natural but condensed landscape.

"Where did she…? Eve?" he sighed. "Is she really making me do this?"

Zero spent another minute walking around the park in search of his elusive friend when something somewhat hard and cold smacked him in the back of the head causing him to whip around in search of what it was. His eyes found what he had been searching for. Eve stood yards away laughing at him and the face he was making which steadily changed from one of shock and alertness to drab and unamused. She couldn't help it. It only further made her laugh.

"Laugh it up, Eve, but you'll get yours," he uttered quietly.

While his friend was busy taking in the humor of her bull's eye strike on Zero's head the Reploid had scooped up a decently sized snowball of his own and launched it right at Eve hitting her in the leg and making her scream.

"Ohoho… Alright. We're going to war now, Zero," she proclaimed from across the way and hurried off to get more distance between them.

"It won't last very long," he countered and readied another snowball.

"Yeah, we'll see about that! I have a mean right arm!"

Eve quickly began making a supply of snowballs as she took refuge behind a tree. She knew her opponent was a demon on the battlefield but she was prepared to come at him with the same ire. She started this fight after all and she intended to be the winner in the end! Her head peeked around the tree only to narrowly just miss being hit by an incoming snowball. She peeled back and gasped.

"Missed me!" she yelled and hurled a tightly packed ball of snow at her friend.

Her snowball was barely evaded thanks to Zero's quick maneuvers. He was just getting started. He aimed to ambush her when she least expected it. While he was on the move Eve was hurriedly making more ammunition. But her safe haven had been infiltrated and an assault had taken place! She was struck with a snowball, though not before she could throw one back at her enemy as well dealing a blow to his shoulder. Strike! Eve ran away from her hiding spot but Zero was hot on the pursuit.

They both looked so serious in their game of snowball war that passersby wondered what on earth was going on. They had better stay out of the way. It was getting heated. At the same time, Eve was having the time of her life. Running away and trying to nail her friend in the face with a snowball was exhilarating. And even in the times when she could glance back at the Reploid chasing after her she could see a smile on his face. He thought it was fun, too. Zero hardly played games like these but he was enjoying himself (even if he seemed rather intense, determined to defeat Eve).

Eve hurried around the corner into a more open field. That was a big mistake. There was nowhere to hide! Up ahead there was a decline. Some children were sledding down the hill and having fun. Eve had stopped just before the slope not wanting to clumsily run down it and fall.

"Oooh… shoot…," she huffed knowing this was the end of the line.

She turned around seeing Zero approaching. He was unforgiving. The Reploid launched a snowball at her and then another.

"Aaagh…! Okay!" she yelled. "I surrender…! Zero! Stop throwing snowballs at me…!"

The woman growled and went to bend over to make more of her own since her enemy didn't seem like he was going to stop his assault. She tried throwing them at him but was smacked right in the nose and had stumbled backward. Eve had fallen on her behind and went backwards head-first down the hill forcing Zero to stop and blink as suddenly his friend was gone and all he could hear were her screams.

"Eve?"

Zero rushed to the edge of the hill and saw the woman flailing as she rolled down the long slope, her cries becoming more and more distant the farther she went. Something within him erupted. Watching her helplessly cascade down the hill, listening to her wails as she desperately tried to grab onto anything to make her stop. Zero couldn't help but start laughing. He laughed so hard he had dropped whatever snowballs he had in his hands to the ground. He couldn't keep it together, and just when he thought he had he saw Eve just lying in the snow at the bottom of the hill looking defeated and half-dead and he laughed just as hard as he had moments ago.

Eve could hear his howls and fits of hysteria from where she lay in the snow. She stared up at the sky, her body cold and wet, her face almost numb. She was having a moment of regret starting what she had started. She wondered how long her friend was going to stand up there laughing at her. Was he even able to stand at this point? He was laughing so hard she thought he could choke. Eve heard Zero release a shaken sigh before finally he gained composure and began his descent down the slope. Eve still remained there by the time he arrived and his figure occluded her view of the clear, blue sky. Zero gazed down at Eve who was blank-faced and hollow. That look alone almost brought back bouts of laughter in him.

"Zero… I surrendered…," she muttered. "Did you… did you know that…?"

She was really trying to kill him and he couldn't begin to understand why this was even so funny in the first place. Zero tried not to laugh at the defeated woman covered in snow and instead helped her up. She was nearly all dressed in white now, snow clinging onto her clothes and hair. Her vacant expression turned to a scrupulous one as she stared at the Reploid he was far too smug right now for her liking.

"That looked like fun," he remarked.

"Oh, you wanna try it, Zero? You wanna have a turn?" Eve sputtered.

"Nah, I'll pass. It was more fun to watch than anything else."

As he answered he brushed the snow off of her jacket and ruffled her hair allowing the snow gathered there to fall. Eve looked embarrassed but wasn't about to take this whole thing so seriously.

"I don't think I've ever heard you laugh like that before."

"I mean, if you saw it from where I was standing you probably would have done the same," he said.

"Yeah, alright, I'm really glad I could give you that kind of pleasure, Zero, really," Eve said pursing her lips and brushing herself off of any more snow left behind.

The woman let out a tremendous sigh and fixed her clothes and bag. She was glad nothing had fallen out of it considering how much she had purchased earlier! But now she was left feeling rather cold.

"Well, I am glad you had all of that fun but I'm freezing and would like to get warm, so maybe let's go somewhere else," she said holding herself.

She wasn't exactly dressed for winter sports at the moment having thought not at all that she would be spending a hot minute falling down a snow-covered hill. Zero grinned and nodded his head. It would be better if she went someplace warmer anyway.

"Where'd you have in mind?" he bothered to ask, now leading them both away from the bottom of the hill.

"I could really go for some hot chocolate…"

"A café then, huh? Sounds alright. Have a place you like?"

"Uuhhh…, well, I used to go to this place called Pestle & Mortar," she explained while walking with her friend.

"Used to?"

"I haven't been out much these days as you can imagine. But I used to go there a lot when I was in college. They have a lot of specialty teas but make pretty good coffee and hot chocolate. It's really quiet and nice there. I'm sure you'd like it."

"Whatever you say."

Zero wouldn't argue about it. He and Eve left the park from the opposite side which they came in from and headed toward the metro station to catch a train to take them across town. Her hair was dried a little bit more by the time the were on the train but her clothes would take a little more time to get less damp. Still, Zero appeared to be rather content from their escapades at the park earlier. At least he had a great time! Not to mention he wasn't being bothered by anyone while out in public. Not that he wasn't indistinguishable without his armor, really, but it helped to make him stand out a lot less.

With his human friend the Reploid spent some time at a quiet café. Eve sat peacefully with her cup of hot chocolate and a delicious eclair while she basked in the sunlight sitting by a window across from Zero. He was relatively relaxed. He even bothered to get himself a cup of tea. Once again, the two enjoyed the silence and atmosphere of where they were. That was something Eve really liked about Zero. He sometimes was a little difficult to talk to but also he didn't force conversation, a notion that Eve deeply appreciated. They could just sit without saying a word and it meant a lot. But Eve caught herself admiring Reploid for another time while he was distracted by the window and whatever was on the other side of it.

"I really need to stop letting myself daydream like this," she thought inwardly with a smile. "Ah, who am I kidding here, really? He's great to stare at. Yeesh… Alright, maybe I shouldn't indulge that much in my own whimsies."

She quietly blushed and glanced down at her hot chocolate cupped between her hands eventually smiling softly again.

"But I really wish I was courageous enough to at least tell him I admire him. I know I've told him I respect him. He knows that. But anything stronger than that… I don't really want to make our friendship awkward."

Internally she felt a deep sigh coming along with crushing disappointment in tandem.

"Aaaghh… I wish I liked somebody else…"

She wanted to cringe.

"Gere in the call center is pretty nice. No, that wouldn't work… What am I even thinking?"

Even gently but quickly shook her head garnering Zero's attention.

"Oh, now he's looking at you with those… beautiful blue eyes, and—Eve stop it…!" she mentally scolded herself.

She chuckled nervously.

"It's nothing. I was just thinking… About our next mission. I am joining, right?"

"You're well enough to, so, yeah. Unless you're having second thoughts?" he curiously asked.

"No, not really. I'm just kind of worried, about a lot of things. This will be my first mission not disguised as a Reploid."

"So? What difference does that make?"

"I guess… none, really. I still need to finish my armor, though," she huffed. "I mean, start it."

"Do you need any help?" Zero asked.

"Help? Oh, well, I mean I probably can take care of it by myself."

"Yeah, maybe you could, but wouldn't it be faster if you had someone to help you with it?"

"That would… expedite the process significantly, yes," the woman agreed with a nod and paused before looking at her friend inquisitively. "Are you offering to help me, Zero?"

"I wouldn't be against it. It'd give me something else to do. Besides if it helps you out then it's best," he answered.

"Okay, then, I'd be glad to have you help me out."

Eve smiled gladly for his offer. It really would take a load off of her shoulders. But one thing came across her mind that piqued her interested.

"Zero, have you ever worked on other Reploids before?"

"No. This is kind of out of my expertise."

"Wow. Something I'm better than you at. Then that means I can teach you!" she gleefully exclaimed.

Zero blinked his eyes more so out of bemusement at the bounds Eve set for the competitiveness that they had between them. She seemed awfully proud to be the advantageous one this time.


End file.
